Regional Business Came To Bat To Keep Big East In Hartford

After the 2011 season, Hartford's contract to host the Big East Tournament at the XL Center ended. Soon after the question shifted to how deep were the roots it had established and how well would they tether the conference to the city.

"I never had a concern about it," said Chuck Steedman, the senior vice president and general manager of the XL Center. "I just looked at all the positives we could bring to the table."

The answer came Tuesday when the Big East renewed its deal with the XL Center through the 2013 season. In doing so, the conference spurned the temptations of other suitors with deep pockets and high ambitions to carry the tournament away.

"This is a great opportunity for the city to show what it has to offer," Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra said. "It shows that we, as the capital city, can maintain and retain great events like this. It was a competition and we earned this by working together by showing our passion for the sport."

To keep the tournament, Hartford summoned the help of city and state
agencies and petitioned the biggest businesses in the state to lend
their financial support. "We started working on this extension the
day the last extension started (in 2009)," said Chuck Steedman, senior
VP and general manager of the XL Center. "We never treat any event as if
it's here to stay for forever. Our attitude is what can we do to make
it better? What can we do to help extend the stay?"

In the end nine
companies - Aetna, Bank of America, Hartford Health Care, Northeast
Utilities, Phoenix, Prudential, St. Francis Hospital,
Travelers and United Healthcare - pooled together to invest $80,000 in
ticket purchases, for two years, and a plan to use them, to help improve
the package the Big East began considering in February.

"That was
very important," said Steedman, who added the XL Center also made a
"significant" financial contribution to help market the event, which
will be held March 2-6, 2012.

"I will say that was a big part of it
for us," said Danielle Donehew, the Big East's associate commissioner
for women's basketball. "The community stepped up. Attendance is so key
to the women's game. It was a very big plus to the offer [presented by
the XL Center]. We were excited about that. We needed people in the
stands."